I'm a freelance writer, grad student, and night owl. I share weekly actions anyone can take to fight back against 45's administration. Twitter: @nightowlactivst Member of the Action Alliance: actionalliance.co

2/28/2017

Today, 45 told members of the press that his new immigration bill would allow undocumented immigrants who aren't serious or violent criminals to remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation, which of course goes against everything he has said and done thus far. However, he also said that he still stands behind his call for "extreme vetting" and his unconstitutional Muslim ban. Meanwhile, massive ICE raids have continued all over the country, targeting all undocumented immigrants, not just those who are serious or violent criminals. Here's how you can help protect immigrants from 45's attacks.

Call your local legislators. Use the information at the following links to call your governor, mayor, and county sheriff and urge them not to cooperate with ICE:

Share information. Click the following links to download Reform Immigration for America's infographics for undocumented immigrants preparing for ICE raids, then share them with your friends and family through social media, text, and/or email:

Today, 45 once again showed that he doesn't care about our environment by signing an executive order aimed at rolling back an Obama-era rule that protects public bodies of water. Rolling back this rule would put clean water and public health at risk. 45 is also poised to announce massive budget cuts to the EPA, and he recently put Scott Pruitt, who wants to get rid of the EPA, in charge of the Agency. Here's how you can help fight against 45's anti-environment agenda.

Sign a petition. Sign this petition to urge Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to lead a movement in Congress to stop 45 from dismantling environmental protections:https://actionsprout.io/07CDB2/initial

Healthcare - Affordable Care Act: 45 and the Republicans are promising a new plan to take away health insurance from millions of Americans within the next few days.Use the information at the following link to call your MoC and demand that they block any bill that destroys the ACA's expansion of Medicaid:http://www.weekly-resistance.online/past/saveObamacare.html

Federal Agencies: Corporate Republicans in Congress want to hamstring the agencies in charge of consumer and financial protections, worker rights, public health, food safety, clean air and water, and more. Use this form to email your MoC and tell them vote no on bills that weaken our public protections:http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=13434

2/27/2017

OK, I'm still not feeling 100%, so I'll see how much of this I can get through posting...

45's Conflicts of Interest
Tomorrow, the House Judiciary Committee will vote on a resolution of inquiry proposed by Rep. Jerry Nadler, which demands an investigation into 45's conflicts of interest. Here are some ways you can help get the investigation going.

Call/fax your senators. Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed a bill called the Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act of 2017, which would require 45 to divest and end his financial conflicts of interest. Find your senator at the following link and call them using the script below from the Daily Kos: https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

The Senate recently confirmed Scott Pruitt as the head of the EPA, a guy who wants to get rid of the EPA (?!). Protections for our climate, environment, and wildlife are now at risk. Here's how you can help keep them in place.

Empower American migrants overseas to exercise their citizenship by mobilizing against actions of the new administration from outside the USA through publishing overseas catered Act Nows

Facilitate a space for American migrants overseas to connect and share their actions and mobilizations, in order to strengthen collective action across borders through publishing Feature Actions and How Tos.

Invite reflection by American migrants overseas around their political context as activists living outside the USA through Global Perspectives.

We started the platform because Americans living overseas represent an enormous political force but they can often be left on the outside of mobilization strategies. The platform is a way to think creatively about mobilizing from other countries.

If you are an American living overseas, please check out the link above for more information.

Sophia's Virtual Stoa

I had the pleasure of meeting Sophia this weekend at a rally protesting the 45 administration's removal of protections for transgender students. She gave me a brochure and told me about her movement to educate resisters about a philosophy known as stoicism. This philosophy aims to trade anger at social injustices for "a resolve to properly do their part in the effort to effect change." Her website is full of information about stoicism and how to apply it to activism and help combat resistance fatigue, among other issues. Check it out here: http://virtualstoa.org/

Sophia is also working to create local groups who will meet to study stoicism together in person. So far, there is only one group here in the Philadelphia area. If you live near Philly, you can join here:https://www.facebook.com/groups/philadelphiastoa/

Actions that Cover Multiple Issues

These links contain actions that cover a wide variety of issues, and it's much easier for me to share a link to the single page than to break it all up into multiple categories. So, here they are:

Wall-of-us Weekly Acts: Visit the following link for four actions you can take this week to resist 45's agenda. This week's topics include preserving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, stopping anti-immigration policies, and de-funding the DAPL: https://www.wall-of-us.org/weekly-acts-of-resistance/

Public Broadcasting: Call your senators and urge them to protect public broadcasting and PBS Kids. Dial 1-855-976-0757 to be connected automatically, then use the script below from ParentsTogether Action. If there's no answer at either of your senators' offices, it will connect you to the office of Sen. Mike Enzo, Chair of the Budget Committee. You can use the same script with him:

I am a constituent and I believe PBS Kids is an essential resource for kids. I oppose any budget plan from the White House that would cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Can you let me know the Senator's position on this very important issue?

I'm still not feeling great tonight, so I'm taking another night off. I've decided that I should take weekends off from now on to give myself a break. I never get very many actions to post on weekends anyway. Tomorrow, I'll be back with a whole lot more.

2/26/2017

Tonight, I'm taking a night off because I'm very tired and I want to watch TV until I fall asleep on the couch. I suggest you all take a night (or day) off every now and then, too because resistance fatigue is a thing. The Resistance is millions strong, and there will always be someone there to hold the fort. Like Michael Moore said, stagger your breathing so that we all don't have to take a breath at the same time.

For now, just relax and give yourselves a big pat on the back for helping Stephanie Hansen win the Delaware Senate special election! Yay!

2/24/2017

Pete Souza, former White House photographer to President Obama, trolled 45 today with this photo.

Today, several media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, Politico, the BBC, The Huffington Post, and BuzzFeed News, were prohibited from attending a White House briefing by 45's press secretary, Sean Spicer. Spicer allowed reporters from only a handpicked group of news organizations: Breitbart News, the One America News Network and The Washington Times, all with conservative leanings. Journalists from ABC, CBS, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Fox News also attended. Reporters from The Associated Press and Time magazine chose not to attend the briefing in protest. Here's how you can fight back against 45's attacks on the media.

Call media outlets to urge a boycott. The exclusion of reliable, nonpartisan media outlets from a White House press briefing is a clear threat to the freedom of the press and to the media's role in holding 45 and his administration accountable for their actions. Other news outlets must boycott future press briefings until their colleagues' access to briefings is reinstated. Use the information at the following link to call five media outlets and urge them to boycott: https://5calls.org/#issue/recdc2LwZRZXCl0Ri

Today, the White House confirmed that Chief of Staff Reince Priebus spoke with top FBI officials about the bureau’s inquiry into links between 45's associates and Russia, a conversation which appears to violate Justice Department rules to ensure the integrity of investigations. The White House acknowledged that Priebus asked the top two FBI officials to rebut news reports about 45 allies' ties to Russia. On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will debate and vote on investigating 45 and his administration, thanks to a resolution of inquiry filed by Representative Jerry Nadler. Here's how you can help ensure that the investigation takes place.

Call your representative to co-sign Nadler's resolution. Find your representative at the following link, then use the script below to call and urge them to co-sign Rep. Nadler's resolution of inquiry: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Americans deserve to know about Trump's ties to Russia and what he's hiding in his tax returns. Please cosponsor Representative Nadler's demand that the Department of Justice turn over all relevant material on these conflicts.

February 26th - Ready to Resist Conference Call: Sunday, February 26th, at 8pm ET/5pm PT, MoveOn.org is holding another Ready to Resist conference call to discuss their Resistance Recess actions. If you attended a town hall or visited your MoC during the Congressional recess, you can share your story. Register for the call here:https://act.moveon.org/survey/readytoresist5/

March 11th - Resistance Training: On March 11th, the ACLU is holding a Resistance Training in Miami, FL to launch People Power, their effort to engage grassroots volunteers across the country. The training will be livestreamed at 5pm ET/2pm PT. Sign up to view the livestream and learn more about People Power here: https://go.peoplepower.org/signup/join/

Yesterday, Rep. Louie Gohmert invoked the 2011 shooting of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as a reason not to hold a public town hall. In response, Giffords, Co-founder of the gun violence prevention organization Americans for Responsible Solutions, called on leaders in Congress to embrace open debate, listen to their constituents, and hold town halls. Giffords stated that she has held 50 public events campaigning for gun safety in the past year. Here's how you can help Giffords fight against gun violence and convince lawmakers to listen to their constituents:

Joe Manchin: Senator Joe Manchin has been a DINO (Democrat in Name Only) for a long time. He’s fought basic measures to protect West Virginian land from oil, gas, and coal companies; he has ties to the the NRA; and he was the only "Democrat" who voted to confirm Jeff Sessions, Steve Mnuchin, and Scott Pruitt. Sign this petition to tell Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to remove Manchin from the leadership team:https://other98action.org/trump-crony-leading-senate-democrats-no-way/

2/23/2017

The top story today was that last night, 45's administration withdrew federal protections for transgender students in public schools. These protections allow transgender students to use bathrooms and facilities that correspond with their gender identities. In a statement, the White House said that 45 "believes policy regarding transgender bathrooms should be decided at the state level." Here's how you can help protect transgender students.

Call the White House. The White House public comment line was recently re-opened after having been mysteriously shut down in mid-January. Call the comment line at 202-456-1111 and use the script below from Project 1461 to oppose the decision to rescind these protections:

My name is [your name] and I live in [city/town, state]. I'm calling today to tell the president that I disagree with his decision to lift Title IX protections for transgender students. Transgender children are at incredibly high risk of bullying, violence, and even sexual assault. As adults, it's our job to protect them. Allowing children to use the bathroom corresponding to their sexual identity doesn't cause crime - it protects people at risk of being victimized. Please, I urge you to reconsider this policy immediately.

My name is [your name] and I'm a constituent of [representative]. I'm calling today to ask [rep's name] to do everything in his or her power to stop the president from lifting Title IX protections for transgender students. Transgender children are at incredibly high risk of bullying, violence, and even sexual assault. As adults, it's our job to protect them. Allowing children to use the bathroom corresponding to their sexual identity doesn't cause crime - it protects people at risk of being victimized. Please, I urge you to make a public statement opposing this policy today, and to introduce and support legislation that reintroduces protections for transgender students.

BLM Methane and Natural Gas Waste Rule: This week, Congress is slated to vote to overturn Bureau of Land Management (BLM) protections that would require companies extracting oil and gas from public lands to reduce their methane emissions. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows Congress to override recently issued rules, going back months under President Obama. The CRA would not only block the current standards, but would also prevent any similar standards to ever be issued. Use this form to email your senators and urge them to vote no on the CRA and stop rollbacks on environmental protections:https://sierra.secure.force.com/actions/National?actionId=AR0067415

Alberta Clipper Pipeline: Enbridge, the company responsible for the biggest inland oil spill in the U.S. and part owner of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), wants to double the capacity of tar sands coming to the U.S. from Canada on its Alberta Clipper Pipeline. Alberta Clipper currently pumps up to 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of tar sands crude from Alberta, Canada to Wisconsin. Enbridge wants to almost double the pipeline's capacity to 800,000 bpd. This will increase physical stress on the pipeline and increase the risk of spills. Use this form to submit a public comment to 45 and the State Department opposing this increase:https://sierra.secure.force.com/actions/National?actionId=AR0070934

February 25th - Healthcare Rallies: This Saturday, February 25th, Democracy for America is teaming up with Senator Bernie Sanders and Our Revolution to hold healthcare rallies and actions across the country in support of the Affordable Care Act. Find an event near you here: http://act.democracyforamerica.com/event/feb-25/search/

March 10th - Standing Rock March: The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and Indigenous grassroots leaders are calling on their allies across the U.S. and around the world to peacefully march on Washington, D.C. on March 10th. Learn more and sign up to receive updates about the event here: http://standwithstandingrock.net/march/

Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act of 2017: Legislation is currently under consideration in the House and the Senate called the Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act of 2017, which would require the president to divest financial assets that create a conflict of interest. 45 has claimed, without proof, that he divested his interest in Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the DAPL, and declined to answer whether he has divested its parent company, Phillips 66. Use the information at the following link to call your MoC and urge them to support the Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act: https://www.theloyalopposition.net/daily-ctas/daily-call-action-february-23rd-2017/#script

Resolution of Inquiry: Representative Jerry Nadler has introduced a Resolution of Inquiry directing the Department of Justice to provide the House with any and all information relevant to an inquiry into 45's and his associates' conflicts of interest, ethical violations, and ties to Russia. Use the information at the following link to call the House Judiciary Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee and ask them to support the Resolution:
http://us14.campaign-archive2.com/?u=cd33355a7d9cee8effd782b5f&id=a5017cff32&e=27dcc19ef7

Neil Gorsuch, Supreme Court: Nearly every big legal question that affects our nation's students and educators eventually makes its way to the Supreme Court. Gorsuch has a track record that suggests that he'll be dangerous for students and educators. Sign this petition to tell your senators to vote no on Gorsuch and protect students and educators:https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-the-senate-protect-students-vote-no-on-gorsuch

Run for School Board: 314 Action is recruiting STEM candidates to run for every levels of elected office, including the school board. This is a part-time position with an outsized impact on children's futures. If you or a STEM leader you know would like to run for school board, sign up for 314 Action's training program here: http://go.314action.org/page/s/run

Johnson Amendment: At this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, 45 promised to "get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment." This would mean billions more spent trying to buy elections, and it would give super-rich campaign donors a federal tax break for funneling money into buying political power. Sign this petition to tell Congress not to gut the Johnson Amendment: http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/tell-congress-dont-gut-johnson-amendment/

45's Overspending: In one month, 45's administration has spent on travel a little less than what the Obama administration spent in a year. 45 has been out of the office practically every weekend that he’s been on the job, and American taxpayers are footing the $10 million bill. Use the information at the following link to call your MoC and urge them to call out 45 on his excessive spending: http://us14.campaign-archive2.com/?u=542e52557cb249fb2535906ea&id=13ba5b2f0e&e=afc55cc194

Nuclear Weapons: Today, 45 said that he wants to ensure that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is at the "top of the pack," claiming that the U.S. has fallen behind in its weapons capacity. The U.S. currently has 6,800 nuclear warheads. In a manner of minutes, 45 could start a nuclear war that would literally kill everyone on the planet. Representative Ted Lieu and Senator Ed Markey have proposed urgent legislation called H.R. 669/S, which would prevent the U.S. from starting a nuclear war without a declaration of war by Congress. Sign this petition to support this legislation: http://petitions.signforgood.com/TrumpNukes

Postcard Avalanche: This weekend, use the addresses and script below to send postcards to Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham demanding a thorough investigation into 45's ties to Russia:

I am a citizen of the united states, and in order to preserve our democracy, I am demanding a full investigation of any connections between Russia and the Trump team during the campaign, the transition, and the administration. I am imploring you to make certain that a thorough, bipartisan investigation occurs.

45's Tax Returns: Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee tried to gain access to 45's tax returns, but they were blocked by Republicans on the committee. The Presidential Tax Transparency Act would force Trump to release his tax returns. Fill out this form to become a co-signer of the Act: https://www.signherenow.org/petition/tax-transparency/pfaw/

Joe Manchin: Conservative extremist, Senator Joe Manchin, currently holds a leadership position in the Senate Democratic Caucus. Manchin was the only "Democrat" who voted to confirm Jeff Sessions and Steve Mnuchin. In 2015, Manchin voted to de-fund Planned Parenthood. Recently, at a White House meeting, Manchin remained silent while 45 launched a racist tirade against Senator Elizabeth Warren. Sign this petition to tell Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to remove Manchin from his leadership team:https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Manchin_Schumer

Pay-ratio Rule: Runaway executive pay helped pave the way for the 2008 financial crisis. The Dodd-Frank Act told the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to write a rule requiring banks and other public companies to disclose the ratio of their CEOs' compensation to their median workers'. After taking more than five years to complete the pay-ratio rule, the SEC may be trying to undo it. Acting Chair Michael Piwowar has ordered a 45-day review and invited companies to report on "any unexpected challenges" they may have experienced "and whether relief is needed." Sign this petition to tell Piwowar and his fellow commissioners to leave the pay-ratio rule alone: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/its-time-for-action-on-ceo-pay-disclosure

Police Violence: Yesterday, a video surfaced online showing an unidentified off-duty LAPD officer forcefully grabbing and dragging 13-year-old Christian Dorscht after he stood up for a girl whom the officer called a "cunt" and yelled at to get off of his lawn. When other teens tried to help Christian, the officer pulled out his gun and fired a shot into the crowd, almost shooting the 13-year-old. When police showed up, they let the officer walk free, but arrested Christian and another 15-year-old boy with charges of "battery and terrorist threats." Sign this petition to tell the LAPD that this cop needs to be arrested, not the children he terrorized:https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/indict-lapd-cop/

Today, I joined two other members of my local Women's March Huddle to visit Senator Toomey's office in Philadelphia. I just wanted to give my account of how it went, so anyone else interested in visiting their members of Congress (MoC) can get an idea of what to expect.

First of all, we were not able to meet with the senator himself. Instead, we met with a member of his staff, who calls himself Phil (he did not give his last name). Phil is a young, slick-looking guy who smiles a lot and reminds me of a car salesman. He was one of only two people in the small, quiet office. We're not sure if it was so empty because they're moving to a new office on March 1st, or if it's always that way.

My group met with Phil to discuss the Dodd-Frank Act and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We started by telling our personal stories of how the 2008 financial crisis affected us. All three of us poured our hearts out about the difficulties we faced when the crisis hit, and those faced by people we knew. We then began asking questions.

Phil was pretty unresponsive to our questions about the elements of Dodd-Frank and the CFPB that Sen. Toomey wants to change or dismantle, and what he wants to replace them with. He kept stating that he's "not an expert" and that he would have to check with a legislative aide. He did not provide the name of the legislative aide because he said that he didn't know which one would review our questions. Fortunately, we had prepared a list of questions and a leave-behind fact sheet for him to pass on to them (definitely do this if you plan to visit your MoC's office). Phil also repeatedly stated that there would probably be some "disagreements," before we even started asking our questions.

Phil cited a bill proposed by Sen. Toomey called S.1861, which he claimed would prevent banks from being designated "too-big-to-jail." Further research found that this bill never made it out of committee in 2013, and that the bill number has been reused for a 2015 proposal by Rand Paul to de-fund Planned Parenthood (go figure). When asked why Sen. Toomey didn't call for the CEO of Wells Fargo to be prosecuted for defrauding customers for 11 years (since he's so opposed to "too-big-to-jail"), Phil essentially said that that wasn't the Senate's job, and that it was up to the Judiciary branch.

On a side note, Phil also claimed that Sen. Toomey has spoken out against 45 on many points, and that he had been one of the first MoC to demand an investigation into 45's ties to Russia. We all stated that we hadn't heard or read about that in the news; Phil blamed the media. "I can't speak to the extent that they do their job or don't do their job," he said with a smirk that seemed to indicate that he thought it was the latter (did he just play the "fake news" card?). He directed us to the senator's social media accounts and website, all of which I have reviewed extensively and have seen no evidence of this alleged demand.

I read out a list of the big banks that the CFPB has fined for fraudulent and illegal lending practices. Phil interrupted me to ask, "But how are these fines being collected?" He smirked again, as if this was some sort of revelation that would blow our whole case wide open. We all exchanged confused glances. "How are they being collected?" I asked, wondering why in the world that would matter.

Phil went on to say that he had heard that the CFPB wasn't actually collecting on any of their imposed fines, and that this was apparently one of the biggest criticisms of the CFPB. None of us had heard or read anything like that in our research. Further research found that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been keeping a close eye on the CFPB to ensure that their fines are in fact being collected.

I asked, "Then why not strengthen the CFPB instead of dismantling it?" He kept repeating that Sen. Toomey thinks that the CFPB needs to be "reviewed" by a committee, and that he was against "over-regulation" because it apparently hurts businesses. He seemed totally unconcerned about protecting consumers and only focused on businesses.

I went on to note that the CFPB has returned $11.7 billion in relief to 27 million Americans and list other ways in which it has helped protect consumers. Phil once again interrupted me to aggressively say, "I've heard about the so-called accomplishments of the CFPB." He then re-iterated (again) that Sen. Toomey wants the CFPB to be "reviewed."

He also kept repeating that a court had ruled that the leadership of the CFPB was unconstitutional because it only has one director who could supposedly "abuse his power." He cited no evidence that the director's power was actually being abused. We pointed out that the ruling was recently overturned, and that the Court of Appeals is planning to hear the case again, which Phil apparently didn't know. Nevertheless, he continued to repeat this as if it was his only argument.

Phil stated that Sen. Toomey wasn't in office during the 2008 financial crisis, and we pointed out that he was working for big banks, selling misleading interest-swaps to American cities and towns (which later caused them to lose billions of dollars). Phil dismissed that and claimed that he didn't know what the senator was doing at the time. At that point, the receptionist knocked on the door and reminded Phil that he had a "conference call" coming up, so he had to wrap up the meeting.

As we were leaving, I gave Phil a letter from my friend who has cancer and depends on the ACA to cover her life-saving medication. He looked it over and said, "Have you written to us before on this issue?" In fact, I had faxed and mailed that exact letter over the weekend. It led me to believe that while Toomey's offices aren't answering their phones, they are reading their faxes and letters. Clearly, Phil recognized my letter, and he even seemed annoyed that I was giving it to him again. He jokingly said that they're a little backed up right now, but that they would respond to everyone "eventually."

My advice to anyone thinking of visiting their MoC:

Go for it! I was very nervous and tired, and the last thing I wanted to do on a Thursday afternoon was get up early and drag myself into the city to talk to a slick guy in a suit who mansplains things he doesn't know anything about, but I did it, and I'm glad I did. It's very important that we let our MoC know that we're here, we have some serious concerns, and we're not going anywhere. Even if they're not there in person to listen, go anyway and talk to someone on their staff.

Go with a group. If I was alone, I never would have been able to carry that meeting. The two ladies who went with me were total rock stars who knew their stuff and didn't back down when Phil challenged them. We were stronger together.

Schedule in advance. Sen. Toomey's office has a meeting request form that anyone who wants to visit must fill out. Call your MoC's office and ask how to schedule a meeting. Suggest several dates and times when you're available. Find out if you'll be able to record the meeting while you're there. If not, take notes so that you can share your experience later.

Do your homework. Make sure you research whichever topic you want to discuss ahead of time, and take notes. Make a list of the questions you want to ask and a leave-behind sheet that briefly lists the main points you want to make. Include the names and contact information for each member of your group on both sheets. You won't have a lot of time at the meeting, and most likely you'll get a Phil who isn't an "expert" and needs to check with a legislative aide. It's important to have printed materials for your Phil to pass on.

Good luck to everyone visiting with their MoC! Keep up the resistance!

2/22/2017

Tomorrow (technically today, since it's almost 4am) is the one-month anniversary of The Night Owl Activist. I can't believe how much has happened in only one month! It's been a roller coaster ride for sure. Thank you to all of my viewers and subscribers for joining the resistance and fighting against 45 with me. Keep up the good work!

ImmigrationICE Raids
45's plan to round up and deport millions of undocumented immigrants is likely to trigger waves of lawsuits. The Department of Homeland Security is pushing ahead with what the ACLU calls a "hyper-aggressive mass deportation policy." The administration wants to unshackle Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who they say have been "handcuffed" by policies that determined who "could and couldn’t be adjudicated." The ACLU and other groups are vowing to challenge the crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Here's how you can help keep up the fight.

Call your governor. Your state governor has more power than you may realize. They can lobby the federal government and order state authorities to block federal immigration agents. They can also refuse to provide state-level immigration data to the federal government, offering a further layer of protection. Use the phone number and script at the following link to call your governor and urge them to protect undocumented immigrants in your state:https://5calls.org/#issue/recojWy67C4TUrJIF

Call your representative. The "Dreamers" who received legal protection from deportation under President Obama are especially vulnerable to 45. They shared confidential personal information with Homeland Security to get their papers, and now 45's deportation force could use it against them. Members of both parties are co-sponsoring the BRIDGE Act to let Dreamers keep their protected status and stop 45 from using that information to round them up. Use the form at the following link to call your representative and demand that they move the bill forward ASAP: http://www.weekly-resistance.online/past/standWithDreamers.html

Other Immigration Issues

Anti-Chinese Border Policy: Customs and Border Protection (CBP) just put forward a proposal to collect information from the private social media accounts of Chinese visitors entering the U.S. on tourist and business visas. This is yet another attempt to unfairly scrutinize visitors to the U.S. based on race and national origin. Public comments are open until April 24th. Use this form to email CBP and tell them that this proposal is unacceptable:https://advancingjusticela.salsalabs.org/chinesesocialmediacheck/index.html

RAISE Act: Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue have introduced the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act, a bill that would crack down on legal immigration by restricting green cards, barring immigrants from reuniting with families, and ending the diversity visa lottery. If it becomes law, the RAISE Act will cut legal immigration by 50%. Sign this petition to tell the Senate to reject the RAISE Act:https://act.credoaction.com/sign/raise

45's Ties to Russia - Flynnghazi

Investigation

Today, Republican Senator Susan Collins said that she wants former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Most Republicans in Congress have been resistant to conducting a thorough investigation, including House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, who is currently spending his time investigating a national park's Twitter account (?!). It's clear that a nonpartisan, transparent, thorough investigation is needed. Here's how you can push to make it happen.

Call the Senate Select Intelligence Committee. This committee currently seems like the most likely path for a thorough investigation. Call the committee at 202-224-1700 and use the script below from re:act to demand a transparent investigation:

I’m calling to say that I believe the American people deserve a thorough, nonpartisan, public investigation into President Trump, Russia, and Michael Flynn. Will you tell me the scope of the current hearings? Will Flynn be called to testify under oath?

Sign a petition. Sign this petition to demand that Congress investigate 45's ties to Russia before his administration is able to cover up its crimes: https://actionsprout.io/6F74D4/

Jeff Sessions

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI don't plan to indict Michael Flynn on the premise that, when pressed in his FBI interview, Flynn said that he could not remember for certain whether he discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador. There is significant concern that the decision to not prosecute was based on Attorney General (AG) Jeff Sessions's long involvement with Flynn, 45, and the campaign. DOJ guidelines mandate that the AG recuse himself from an investigation or prosecution if he has a political relationship with any person involved in the conduct of which he is the subject of the investigation or who would be directly affected by the outcome. Here's how you can help get Sessions to step down.

Dakota Access Pipeline: After 45 issued his directive to carry out the DAPL as planned, the Department of the Army announced on February 7th that it will grant the final easement to finish the pipeline. While the Standing Rock camp started coordinated cleanup in January, officials stated that it was moving too slowly. Now the most important thing is the safety and well-being of those being evacuated from Standing Rock, as well as those who choose to stay. Use the phone numbers and script at the following link to call those in charge of the evacuation and make sure that no violence or excessive force is used: http://us14.campaign-archive1.com/?u=542e52557cb249fb2535906ea&id=bc712e4a87&e=afc55cc194

Climate Change: America's continued resistance to renewable energy not only contributes to climate change, but it also hurts our economy, displaces American workers, and puts us behind countries like China, India, Germany, and many others in perhaps the greatest growth industry of the century. Brand New Congress has a plan to convert America to 100% renewable energy and boost the economy. Sign this petition to endorse it: https://actionsprout.io/9A5F15/

Healthcare

Affordable Care Act: Recent polls show that support for the ACA is rising. 45% of Americans now approve of the ACA, while 45% disapprove. Polls also show that more Republicans want to make fixes to the ACA instead of just repealing the whole thing. House Republicans have revealed parts of their plan, which includes remaking Medicaid, but they did not explain how it would be paid for, or how many will be covered. Use the links below from re:act to Tweet your representative and remind them why the ACA should not be repealed:

Reproductive Rights: Oklahoma State Representative Justin Humphrey recently introduced an unconstitutional bill that forces women to get written consent for abortions. When asked why, Humphrey said, "I understand that they feel like that is their body...what I call them is, is you’re a ‘host.’" Sign this petition to tell Humphrey that women are not "hosts," and denounce his unconstitutional bill: https://actionsprout.io/8D1026/

Events - ICYMI

In case you missed them, here are the recordings for recent resistance conference calls.

CREDO Action Conference Call with Elizabeth Warren: Last night, over 9,000 CREDO members joined a conference call to discuss their ongoing grassroots resistance against 45 with Senator Elizabeth Warren. Listen to a recording of the call here:https://credoaction.com/pages/warren-conference-call/

Sirius XM: Steve Bannon has built a business off of white nationalism, making Breitbart News Daily the first live, conservative radio enterprise to air seven days a week. Sirius XM’s Patriot station is branded as the "True Voices of Conservative Talk Radio" with shows hosted by Glenn Beck and the National Rifle Association (NRA). Sign this petition to tell Sirius XM CEO James E. Meyer to stop profiting from Bannon's bigoted agenda:https://campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/sirius-xm-stop-profiting-off-of-trump-s-hate

Amazon: Many companies have already dropped their advertising from Breitbart, Steve Bannon's white nationalist propaganda website, but Amazon's ads still appear on the site. Sign this petition to tell Amazon to immediately pull their advertising from Breitbart:https://actions.sumofus.org/a/amazon-stop-investing-in-hate

Voting Issues - Citizens United: The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United allowed wealthy special interests and billionaires to pour unlimited, anonymous money into our elections. Senator Martin Heinrich is co-sponsoring a constitutional amendment to end Citizens United and restore our elections back to voters. Sign this petition to support the amendment:http://nm.martinheinrich.com/page/s/mth-end-citizens-united

Federal Agencies - Hiring Freeze: Yesterday morning, while picking their children up from school, military families received a letter stating that all part-day Child and Youth Services will close due to the federal hiring freeze. Sign this petition to call on 45 to reverse his federal hiring freeze, which negatively impacts veterans and military families:http://action.votevets.org/page/s/hiring-freeze

Social Security - Bernie Sanders's Legislation: 45's new Budget Director, Mick Mulvaney, has vowed to destroy Social Security as we know it, but polls show that 72% of Americans support increasing Social Security benefits. Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced new legislation to extend the solvency of Social Security, expand benefits, increase cost-of-living adjustments, and increase minimum benefits paid to low-income seniors. Sign this petition to support this legislation: http://go.boldpac.com/page/s/bernie-social-security

Freedom of Information Act: Starting March 1st, the FBI will no longer accept Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests via email. Anyone seeking public records from the Bureau will have to send requests via fax or snail mail or use a new online portal, which comes with burdensome requirements. The FOIA gives us a legal right to request public records that allow journalists and watchdogs to hold the government accountable. Sign this petition to tell FBI Section Chief David M. Hardy to keep the FOIA email system running and drop arbitrary restrictions from the online portal: http://act.freepress.net/sign/journ_foia_request/

2/21/2017

Yesterday, protesters at North Dakota's Oceti Sakowin camp issued a plea for help at Standing Rock. The Army Corps of Engineers and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum have issued an evacuation order for tomorrow morning. In a viral video shared by Shaun King yesterday, a group of indigenous women urged supporters to come stand with Standing Rock as soon as possible (watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/shaunking/videos/1309115642460684/). Here's how you can help.

Join the protest. If you live in the area or can otherwise get to Standing Rock, go join the protesters as soon as you can! They need all the help they can get. You can find a map of the camp here: http://www.ocetisakowincamp.org/map

Help from a distance. The Oceti Sakowin camp's website has a list of actions you can take to help support them, from calling your members of Congress (MoC) to donating supplies. View the list here: http://www.ocetisakowincamp.org/getinvolved

Sign a petition to prosecute Kyle Kirchmeier. Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier brutalized NoDAPL Water Protectors, and violence is likely to increase now that the final approval of the easement needed to complete the DAPL is imminent. Sign this petition to demand that the U.S. Department of Justice prosecute Kirchmeier:https://actionsprout.io/674D32/initial

Immigration

ICE Raids

Today, Homeland Security issued memos which unveiled a sweeping plan to deport undocumented immigrants. The memos instruct all agents, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify, capture, and quickly deport every undocumented immigrant they encounter. The vast majority of the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants are at risk of deportation. Here's how you can help support undocumented immigrants in your community.

Call Paul Ryan. This week, Speaker Paul Ryan blocked members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from attending a meeting with top-level ICE personnel to discuss deportations and raids. Use the phone numbers and script at the following link to call Ryan and tell him that this is unacceptable: http://www.3notrump.org/weekly-actions-2212017/#2

Email your governor. State governors have the authority to protect immigrants in their state. This includes restricting the use of state funds to arrest or detain immigrants. The federal government does not reimburse local authorities for ICE detention requests, costing state and local governments millions of dollars. This is not only an unjust federal mandate to "crackdown" on immigrants, but a completely unfunded one. Use this form to email your governor and demand fiscal responsibility in immigration enforcement:http://twwusa.org/1944/write-your-governor-ice/

Border Wall

Recent reports found that 45's ridiculous border wall will cost much more and take much longer to build than previously expected. Earlier this month, 45 Tweeted that the price would go down after he got "involved in the design" and "negotiations." Here's how you can help protest the wall.

Sign a petition. According to Pew Research Center, we are at a 50 year low of illegal border crossings. Sign this petition to tell the California State House and Senate and Governor Jerry Brown not to allow construction of a wall along the California/Mexico border:http://linkis.com/petitions.moveon.org/Ed4Lz

45's Ties to Russia - Flynnghazi

45 insists that he had no contact with Russia during his campaign, but Russia says otherwise. Russian officials have at least twice acknowledged contact with 45's aides before the election. That contact would have taken place during the period when it’s believed that the Russian government was trying to disrupt the election. Clearly, an immediate, thorough investigation is needed into 45's ties to Russia. Here's how you can help get it going.

Call your MoC about SB 27 and HR 356. Senate Bill 27 and the Protecting Our Democracy Act (HR 356) propose the establishment of an independent commission to examine and report on the facts regarding the extent of Russian cyber operations and attempts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. national election. Use the links below to call your MoC and tell them to support these proposals:

Earlier this month, Uber CEO Travis Kalanik backed out of 45's advisory council of business leaders after public backlash. Several business leaders still remain on the council. Here's how you can help tell them to stop enabling 45's agenda:

Nationwide - Healthcare Rallies: This Saturday, February 25th, rallies will be held outside of MoC's offices to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and protect healthcare access for all Americans. Use the Resistance Calendar to find a rally near you:https://www.resistancecalendar.org/

Webinar - Water is a Reproductive Justice Issue: On February 28th, at 7pm ET/4pm PT, Reproaction is holding their monthly Act and Learn Webinar. This month's topic is "Water is a Reproductive Issue." Coya White Hat-Artichoke, Community Specialist at Sistersong and member of the Rosebud Sioux Nation, and Curt Guyette of the ACLU will be joining the webinar to discuss the urgent issue of access to water. Register for the webinar here:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8872848110767361539

Miscellaneous

45's Cabinet - Ajit Pai, FCC: In 2015, advocates for the open Internet won a battle to preserve net neutrality, the principle that all Internet traffic is treated equally and that providers cannot charge content providers for "fast lanes" for those who can afford it. 45's pick for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ajit Pai, has stated that he is "more confident than ever" that net neutrality's "days are numbered." Use this form to email Pai and the FCC and tell them why we must protect net neutrality:https://www.thenation.com/article/net-neutrality-is-in-danger-tell-the-fcc-why-we-need-it/

LGBTQ Rights - Protection for Transgender Students: Today several sources reported that 45's administration will rescind the previous guidance for the Department of Education that transgender students should be protected from sex discrimination at school. Use the phone number and form at the following link to call the White House and tell them that transgender students deserve to be able to go to school without facing discrimination:https://act.myngp.com/Forms/6991503063701981952?midqs=-3012345200757440512

Protesting - Anti-protest Legislation: Recently 10 states have introduced legislation that would increase penalties for various types of protesting. If you live in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Virginia, or Washington, use the information at the following link to call your state senator and representative and tell them to vote against this legislation: http://www.3notrump.org/weekly-actions-2212017/#3

Elections - 4th District of Kansas: Thanks to Lisa for sending me this action. On April 11, the 4th congressional district of Kansas will hold a special election for the House of Representatives to replace Mike Pompeo, who was selected as director of the CIA. Help turn this seat blue by supporting the Democratic candidate, James Thompson, a U.S. Army veteran and civil rights attorney. District 4 is home to Koch Industries, so a Democratic victory would be a great way to send them a message. Even if you don't live in Kansas, you can still help get Kansans out to vote for Thompson by using the online phonebanking tool here:http://www.votejamesthompson.com/phonebank

Reproductive Rights - Operation Rescue: Immediately after Jeff Sessions was confirmed as Attorney General, Troy Newman, head of the anti-choice domestic terrorist organization, Operation Rescue, offered to "assist" Sessions and the Department of Justice with research and documentation to target abortion providers. Newman has stalked and systematically harassed clinic workers, and he believes that it's the federal government's responsibility to execute abortion providers. Sign this petition to call on Sessions to disavow Operation Rescue and publicly decline any offer of partnership with Newman and his organization:http://actnow.prochoiceamerica.org/sign/170221_SessionsOR/

Gun Violence - Chicago: Days after his inauguration, 45 took to Twitter to threaten to "send in the Feds" to address gun violence in Chicago. The level of gun violence in this country has become a public health crisis, and no community has been affected more than Chicago, but tweeting does nothing to save lives. Co-sign a letter from Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth to urge 45 to stop tweeting and start taking real action to reduce gun violence in Chicago: http://action.dickdurbin.com/page/s/chicago?source=em170221-chicago

45's Ties to Russia - FlynnghaziThis weekend, five current and former government officials reported that the FBI is pursuing at least three separate probes relating to Russian hacking of the U.S. presidential elections. Meanwhile, a former CIA operative claimed that intelligence workers are "plotting against" 45 and trying to take him down by withholding or leaking sensitive information due to his ties to Russia. It's clear that a thorough, independent investigation into 45's Russian ties is needed. Here's how you can help push for it.

Call the Senate Intelligence Committee and your members of Congress. This committee has taken the lead into the Russia inquiry, but it does not traditionally operate in a bi-partisan manner. Use the information below and at the following link to call or fax the committee and your members of Congress (MoC) and urge them to request a bi-partisan committee to investigate 45's ties to Russia: http://us14.campaign-archive2.com/?u=542e52557cb249fb2535906ea&id=d6e2e37a09&e=afc55cc194

Alexander Acosta, Labor Secretary: Recently, Andrew Puzder was withdrawn as 45's nominee for Labor Secretary. Acosta, 45's new nominee, was head of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division during the Bush Administration. At that time, Republicans in Ohio were engaged in a scheme to restrict voting in predominately Black voting districts by sending in volunteers to challenge people's eligibility to vote. Acosta sent a letter defending the scheme. Sign this petition to demand that Congress reject Acosta:https://americavote.cp.bsd.net/page/signup/e170220

The best way to fight back against 45 and his one-sided Republican Congress is to make sure we elect more Democrats in 2018 or sooner. Here's how you can help.

Support Jon Ossoff. On April 18th, the 6th congressional district of Georgia will hold a special election to replace Tom Price, who was recently confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services (?!). 45 only won the 6th district by one percentage point. That's the slimmest margin of victory for a Republican in years. Help turn Georgia blue by supporting Ossoff, a Democrat, in the special election. Even if you don't live in Georgia, you can still help by spreading the word to get Georgians out to vote. Join Ossoff's campaign here:http://go.electjon.com/page/s/join-campaign-a

Women: Run for office. EMILY's List is recruiting and helping thousands of women run for office at the state and local level. If you're a woman who's concerned about 45's agenda, why not step up and run for office? If you're interested, let EMILY's List know here:https://secure.emilyslist.org/page/s/20170207_ads_rtwrun

Voting - National Popular Vote

Today, the New Mexico Senate became the 35th state legislative chamber to approve the National Popular Vote bill. The bill now goes to the New Mexico House of Representatives. Here are some things you can do to help pass the National Popular Vote bill in your state and guarantee the presidency to the candidate receiving the most votes in all 50 states and D.C.

Resistance Calendar: Michael Moore has created the Resistance Calendar, where you can find every upcoming action, protest, march, sit-in, town hall, anti-Trump, pro-democracy event in all 50 states. You can also post your own actions so everyone can see them. Find upcoming resistance events near you here: http://resistancecalendar.org/

Right-to-Work Laws: Republican lawmakers in state legislatures and Congress are aggressively pushing so-called "right-to-work" laws. They’re paving the way for corporations to increase their power in workplaces and in state and national politics. These laws lead to weaker unions, less bargaining power for working people, and lower wages for all workers. Sign this petition to tell state and federal lawmakers to oppose these laws:http://petitions.signforgood.com/right-to-work

Protect Federal Data Programs: With a new Congress and administration, it is important to reiterate to policymakers the importance of federal data programs. Our Federal statistical and data systems provide information that is uniquely accurate, objective, relevant, timely, and accessible. America’s families, firms, and policymakers are able to make informed decisions because they have open access to this unbiased high-quality information. Sign this letter to ask MoC to support and fund federal statistics: http://apdu.org/2017/02/08/help-support-federal-data/

Neil Gorsuch, Supreme Court: When President Obama nominated Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans refused to confirm him because they claimed the Senate shouldn't confirm Supreme Court nominees during a presidential campaign. Earlier this month, 45 nominated Gorsuch for Supreme Court, but yesterday, 45 held his first campaign rally for his 2020 re-election bid (?!). So, according to McConnell's standards, the Senate cannot and should not confirm Gorsuch. Sign this petition to demand that no Supreme Court nominee be confirmed during 45's re-election campaign:http://my.democrats.org/page/s/no-supreme-court-confirmation-during-trump-s-campaign

Miscellaneous

The Environment - Dakota Access Pipeline: Wells Fargo, the second biggest bank in America, is providing $120 million in direct project-level financing for the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The DAPL tramples on the rights of Native Americans by eschewing their concerns and putting corporate polluters' interests above Tribal treaty rights and access to clean water. Use the links below to email Wells Fargo and tell them to divest from the DAPL:

Ask the LPGA to Ditch 45: The 2017 Women's Open is being held at 45's New Jersey golf resort. 45 could make bank from this event because he refuses to separate from his assets. In October, two senators asked the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) to move the tournament due to 45's offensive comments, to no avail. Call the LPGA at 386-274-6200 and use the script below to tell them to ditch 45. Or, fill out their contact form at the following link to email them using the script below: http://www.lpga.com/contact-us/feedback

I am disappointed that the Ladies Professional Golf Association has not made a public statement denouncing Donald Trump's offensive comments about women. The LPGA has also not asked the USGA to move the Women's Open to another location. I expect more from an organization with a long and proud history of standing with women.

You can also fax the LPGA at 386-274-1099. Send a free fax online with FaxZero here:https://faxzero.com/